08

It is with a sad heart that we report the passing of our beloved Labradoodle, Leo, in August of this year. Many of our guests had the pleasure of meeting Leo during their stay with us, charming them with his good nature and wagging tail. He enjoyed a long and eventful life, having been born in Maryland, USA, and spending portions of his 14+ years in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC; Beijing, China; Seoul, Korea; and finally Oamaru, New Zealand. Leo passed away peacefully, and while it was difficult for us to be so suddenly parted from his company, we are gratified that he experienced no suffering.

It was not long before we welcomed a new puppy to our household, since we were fortunate that a Labradoodle breeder in Auckland had a puppy that was available immediately if he appealed to us. After a quick day-trip to Auckland to meet him, we were smitten and George flew down to the South Island to try to fill the gap left by Leo.

As of this writing George is nearly six months old, and he has already had the pleasure of meeting a number of dog-loving guests, and keeping his older brother Ivan (a 10-year old Shetland Sheepdog) company. If you are staying with us, and miss your own furry family members, please note that our dogs are available for counselling sessions at any time. (And for our non-dog loving guests, or those who are allergic, please rest assured that the dogs are not permitted in any of the lodge’s guest rooms, and only in a small number of our public rooms; most of our guests only know that dogs are on the premises because of the photo of us in the room compendium.)